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Book people think they know why 9-year-olds stop reading for fun

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Re: Book people think they know why 9-year-olds stop reading for fun

#191

Post by naasking »

bamboozled wrote: post #127
gwbas1c wrote: post #88

Take a closer look at how much homework children have, and how much assigned, mandatory reading children have. I went to a private "college prep" high school, and the amount of assigned, mandatory reading was insane. I spent so much time reading assigned novels that I just didn't have time to read for pleasure. (And why read for pleasure if I already spent 30+ minutes reading a boring / awful novel as part of my home…

I never really had any homework, or I never did it. I never read for pleasure either. I don't think it's that, but I get your point. Too busy = no time for reading for fun

Not just no time, but making even otherwise fun things mandatory with a volume that's overwhelming can suck the fun out of it and/or make it seem dull.

Re: Book people think they know why 9-year-olds stop reading for fun

#192

Post by toast0 »

selectodude wrote: post #187
nullhole wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One key thing is: don't feel like you have to suffer through reading an entire book if you don't like it. If it's a chore to read it, find something else - different author, or different type of book.

Giving up on a shitty book feels the same as cancelling plans that you don’t want to do. Feels great.

If you need shitty books to practice giving up on, I can autograph and send you some books written by a Pulitzer Prize winning author who shares my name and writes terrible books. Email in profile.

Re: Book people think they know why 9-year-olds stop reading for fun

#193

Post by rsync »

pie_flavor wrote: post #138

Anime is an extremely lucrative market, and Westerners spend an absurd amount of money on it, with Hollywood missing out. It's not because it's Japanese, or its weirder quirks, it's just because Japan is making it and Hollywood isn't, because Hollywood is institutionally incapable of believing people want (a) weird fantasy (b) that takes itself seriously (c) in quantity over quality, or even that adult media can be a…

Tangent: if your 8-9-10 year old loved Bone, a great follow up is usagi yojimbo.

Re: Book people think they know why 9-year-olds stop reading for fun

#194

Post by aatd86 »

naasking wrote: post #191
bamboozled wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never really had any homework, or I never did it. I never read for pleasure either. I don't think it's that, but I get your point. Too busy = no time for reading for fun

Not just no time, but making even otherwise fun things mandatory with a volume that's overwhelming can suck the fun out of it and/or make it seem dull.

Yup. I initially thought that it would be a good idea for me to major in Computer Science. For some reason I majored in Finance after a few years of electrical engineering courses. I don't think I'd be programming today if I had to be force fed programming assignments.

Re: Book people think they know why 9-year-olds stop reading for fun

#195

Post by aatd86 »

chrisan wrote: post #143
iknowSFR wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Try Brandon Sanderson novels. General change to my habits has been that if I’m not feeling a story, it’s okay to put it down. The amount of reading I have trudged through because I was afraid of quitting…

Brando Sando or Wheel of Time :)

Or David Eddings, or Tad Williams etc. :) All these fantasy stuff are what kept me reading.

Although nowadays I read more manuals and research papers.

Or the occasional online xuanhuan novel.

Re: Book people think they know why 9-year-olds stop reading for fun

#196

Post by throwaway11460 »

allemagne wrote: post #166

There's no good reason to think it's not phones. The article kind of rejects this out of hand but I think it's mostly because that doesn't make for an article that touches on all the other topics the author wanted to write about. >It might be screens, but it’s not only screens. It’s not like kids are suddenly getting their own phones at age 9; recent survey data from Common Sense Media reveals that phone ownership ho…

I had a phone since I was 8-9, and I used it to read under the table in class and everywhere else.

Wasn't the only one. We used infrared port to share books with other kids.

Re: Book people think they know why 9-year-olds stop reading for fun

#197

Post by jabroni_salad »

pie_flavor wrote: post #138

Anime is an extremely lucrative market, and Westerners spend an absurd amount of money on it, with Hollywood missing out. It's not because it's Japanese, or its weirder quirks, it's just because Japan is making it and Hollywood isn't, because Hollywood is institutionally incapable of believing people want (a) weird fantasy (b) that takes itself seriously (c) in quantity over quality, or even that adult media can be a…

I love graphic novels but have almost no interest in superheroes, so I'm very thankful to Japan for hard carrying the industry in that regard. You can find Manga about pretty much any topic and level of sophistication.

Re: Book people think they know why 9-year-olds stop reading for fun

#198

Post by nicbou »

bluerooibos wrote: post #99
gwbas1c wrote: post #88

Take a closer look at how much homework children have, and how much assigned, mandatory reading children have. I went to a private "college prep" high school, and the amount of assigned, mandatory reading was insane. I spent so much time reading assigned novels that I just didn't have time to read for pleasure. (And why read for pleasure if I already spent 30+ minutes reading a boring / awful novel as part of my home…

> rediscovered reading Any tips? I didn't, somehow. After leaving high school, then university, my brain went into full on "be productive all the time" mode. My brain somehow doesn't think reading is a good use of my time, so I've settled for audiobooks when falling asleep or on long drives. The last book I was able to devour and actually enjoyed was the Harry Potter series, which ended just before I went to universi…

- Try something entertaining instead of something useful. Pick books out of interest, not out of pragmatism or obligation. If a book doesn't work for you, try another.

- Make it a special time. Start your bedtime routine early, light some candles, make tea and have a go at it. Or sit in a nice café, or after a nice picnic. I love reading myself to sleep, or with tea on the balcony in the morning.

- Remove distractions. I read on a disconnected iPad with no internet and no apps except for reading and notetaking.

If you want to put it in productivity-over-everything terms, reading before sleep is a really good way to wind down and get solid sleep. It's also a great way to build vocabulary, get different perspectives, and enjoy idle time without doomscrolling.

Re: Book people think they know why 9-year-olds stop reading for fun

#199

Post by fullwaza »

imzadi wrote: post #150
fullwaza wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Crazy timing, I'm listening to that series now, it's great!

It's my favorite. I've listened to all the books 6+ times.

The Bobiverse series ("We are Legion (We Are Bob)") is also very good and kind of along the same style.

Re: Book people think they know why 9-year-olds stop reading for fun

#200

Post by nicbou »

allemagne wrote: post #166

There's no good reason to think it's not phones. The article kind of rejects this out of hand but I think it's mostly because that doesn't make for an article that touches on all the other topics the author wanted to write about. >It might be screens, but it’s not only screens. It’s not like kids are suddenly getting their own phones at age 9; recent survey data from Common Sense Media reveals that phone ownership ho…

Why wouldn't it be phones?

I could read right now, but instead I'm on my nth round of the Hacker News front page. Reading competes against instant gratification, and it doesn't win as often as I'd like it to. Reading requires discipline when scrolling is an option.

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